Improvement in brick machine



@uitrit l'tatrsl zrttat @fitta IMPROVEMENT IN BRICK MACHINE.

-llge Srigrhnli rcfrrnh to in that hints ntrnt'mit linking ,uit nf ilove anni.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: l

Be itknown that I,\LYMAN` B. CRITTENDEN, ofiPittsburg, in the county of Allegheny, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefull Improvement in OllBearing Brick Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,- clear, and exact description thereof', reference, being had to the'accompanying drawings, making a part of this speeilicatiomin which- Figure 1 is a'perspectivefview of my improved machine; and

Figure shows a' device belonging thereto, as hereinafter to he explained.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts. l

My invention relates to that class of brick machines whiclrdeliver brick, shaped andpressed, either direct from the moulds or by an endless belt or carrier. In such eases the bricks have generally been removed by hand, to be transported. to .the oven, kiln, or drying-floor. Such handling, as the bricks are still in a state more or less plastic, necessarily injures them, besides involving a considerable outlay and waste of time and labor. The nature ot' my invention consists in the constrnctionand operation of devices by which bricks will be delivered, when shaped or pressed, by a belt or carrier, or otherwise, on to trays, which are moved intermittently to receive them,l and which trays, when full, are discharged on .to a. receiving-bed, whence they can easily be removed to the oven, kiln, or drying-Hoor.

Toenable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and mode of operation.

a represents an endless-belt or carrier, on which the bricks are carried from the brick machine which forms them, and which is by appropriate gearing connected with or to -the power necessary to operate it. is a sliding frame, on which trays c, of any desirable or suitable construction, are placed one after 'the other; but as I usually make them, their length Ais such as is 4eonvenientfor handling, and their width equal or nearly equal to the length of the brick to be manufactured. TheV frame b is inclined at such an'angle that the trays c, when placed on it, willslide down of their -own weight as each successive lower tray is slipped oil the frame 6 on to the carrier-belts d d. These carrier-belts operate on or around a series of rollers, c e', which are usually arranged across the line of direction of the carrier a, and either inclined somewhat to its plane or horizontal, but in such a way that as the bricks are discharged on'e after another from the carriera, they will fall on to and across the tray c, as it restson the carrier-belts d d', or, in the absence ot' such belts, on the rollers e c. The requisite motion to move the trays c along on the carrier-belts d d", or over the rollers e e', I communicate by hand or other convenient power to a ratchet device, consisting ot' a levcr,f, 'which carries and operates the pawl z, which in turn plays into the ratchet-teeth ofthe wheel, g. As' shown in the drawings, the Ileverf and Wheel g are both attached to the axle of one ofthe rollers c. By operating the ratchet-leverfan intermittent motion is communicated to the carrierbelts d cl and tray c, resting thereon; and the parts are so adjusted and operated that as soon as a brick is deposited ou the tray c from the carrier a, the tray c will be carried forward a distance equal to or slightly in excess ofthe width of a brick, so as to be iu position to receive another. This motion is continued till one tray is full, when it is carried alongby the same motion, and another tray following is loaded in the same manner.` For the ratchet-device above described other nieans of producing intermittent motion, veither well known or in general use, .may be substituted. On the rear or back face of the plteflz, which supports an end of each ofthe rollers e e', I attaclra device, shown in iig. 2., for the purpose of supplying trays from the sliding frame b Vto the carrier-belts d d. Such devices may be connected with the axles of one or `more of the rollers e e', but I usually connect them with the axle of the 'roller e', situ'ate at or near th middle of the lower edge ofthe sliding frame b, and to which axle also, as a matter of convenience, vI attach the ratchetdevices above described. -s shown in the drawings, the pinion Z, operated by the axle ofthe roller e', playsinto and operates the gear-wheel m, which latter, as it revolves, by a projecting pin, n, operates a slide, o,

on the back face of the plate htfig. l) upward against the bottoni of each lower tray c, in the frame b, raises l the tray c upward till it clears the plate L, when'it will slide by its ow'n weight on to the carrier-belts d d. The pinion l and gear-wheel mare so constructed and arranged relative to each other, and to the length of the trays c, thatthe latter will byl their action be successively delivered from the frame b on to the carrier-belts d, as soon as the preceding tray shall have lel't the requisite room; or in other words, the gear-wheelmtmust make one revolution while the tray on the carrier-belts d d is moved forward its own length. In this way trays are delivered on to the carrier-belts el cl as fast as they are filled. The slide o is provided with a projecting lip o', against which the pin n operates to carry it up. Also I make a flange s on the. lower ends of the rollers e e to reta-in the trays in their proper position while being carried along as above described. The trays are carried along over the rollers c e', receiving a brick at a time from the carrier a, and after being loaded they are discharged successively on to thc belts t, operating round the rollers t, whence they are removed by hand or otherwise tothe oven, kiln, or drying-licor. On arriving opposite to the rollers t the lower edge of the tray is raised so as te pass over the Hanges s by the trippers 9;, which are operated by the lever y, pivoted to the frame c of the machine. To move the lever y I use either hand or other power at pleasure. The loaded trays will then slide by their own weight en te the belts t, as above stated. The whole of the devices described are attached to and operated in any convenient or suitable framework z. The belts t and rollers t may operate horizontally or otherwise at pleasure; and if so desired, they may carry the loaded trays directly to the oven or kiln. In such case I connect them in any of the ordinary ways with the machinery necessary to operate them.

The usefulness of my invention is shown chiefly in that it does by machinery work which has heretofore been commonly done by hand, and work, too,which, with our best brick machines, is of no inconsiderable amount. It also does the work better, since the bricks, as yet undried, are, by my machine, not liable to injury by either careful or careless handling. And it leaves them on trays of shape and constructionconvenient for moving, on which trays they may bedried in a kiln or oven, or on a drying-floor, or from which 'they may be easily removed for the same or other purposes. I do not limit myself to any particular mode of operating the belts d d. As shown in the drawings, they pass around theroller e, and in any case they should pass around some roller or rollers, by which motion will be communicated to them.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is;

1. The arrangement of devices in an ott-bearing brick machine for supplying trays from the inclined sliding-frame b to the belts rl d or rollers e e', such devices consisting of the slide o, with a projection, o', in combination with suitable gearing for communicating motion to andcperating lthe same, and in such a way that a tray will be supplied to the belts fl d or rollers e e, as soon as each precedingtray shall have passed the foot of the frame l1, substantially in the manner and for the purposes above set forth.

2. The rollers e e of an off-bearing brick machine, in any desirable number, and either with or without belts d d', and arranged either horizontally or inclined, in combination with a ratchet or other equivalent device for producing intermittentmotion, by which a tray resting thereon will be carried forward suiiciently to receive successively a brick at a time, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth..

In testimony whereof, I, the said LYMAN B. JitITTIJNDEN, haveliereunto set my hand in presence ot`- LYMAN B. CRITTENDEN.

Witnesses:

A. S. NicnoLsoN, Gnonon H. CHRISTY. 

